THE silky ball-playing skills and sublime passing ability of Mesut Ozil have endeared him to Arsenal fans this season, reminding them of nobody so much as club legend Dennis Bergkamp.

Well, not according to manager Arsene Wenger, who believes the inner strength of Ozil and his growing influence on the title chasers is almost a carbon copy of the way Bergkamp played such a crucial role in the capture of silverware.

"Ozil is not an extrovert, as you know, but he has a big influence," said Wenger as he looked forward to another intense battle on Sunday against Chelsea in the Premier League.

Arsenal train ahead of Chelsea clash

Thu, January 21, 2016

Express Sport brings you all the best snaps of Arsenal's training session ahead of their London derby against Chelsea

"You don't win trophies by coincidence and Ozil has won in his career. He is demanding from his partners in the side.

"He's like Bergkamp in that way. He's not a guy who stands up and speaks too much but every time he says something it's just straight to the point. And everybody listens."

Wenger pointed his finger to dramatic effect to emphasise his trust in the fierce competitive edge of Ozil, who helped Germany lift the World Cup 18 months ago with his country and has also won the Spanish title with Real Madrid.

The Arsenal boss reveals that the German connection is a vital element of a team that appears to have more relish for the Premier League fight than those of Gunners' sides in recent years.

Another World Cup winner in the team is captain Per Mertesacker and Wenger said: "The experienced players have to pull everybody together and Per is very important in that.

"He's a very important leader in the dressing room, and respected as well. He maintains the focus.

"We have a strong spirit - but spirit is a bit like the weather in England. It can change very quickly, and we have to take care of that. It is something that is very fragile to maintain under the pressure of disappointments and injuries.

"That is why all the older players have a responsibility to take care of unity. We have to keep our fighting spirit.

"The quality of our team this season has especially been the mental strength. We are not like we were before. Sometimes we had a team that had a margin of security.

"What has changed now in the Premier League is every game is a massive fight."

Wenger believes that is why Sunday's opponents Chelsea are struggling near the relegation zone after suffering a collective lack of confidence, and why no team has managed to create a gap at the top.

It is a season like no other and this is an unusual modern Arsenal side that is more about graft than craft.

The veteran Gunners' boss believes it was forged in the heat of a controversial match away to Chelsea earlier in the campaign, notable for a clash between defender Gabriel and opposition striker Diego Costa.

"We have shown since that game we can face big fights," added Wenger. "But we have to combine the fighting spirit with a relaxed attitude and a controlled attitude. We have to be controlled. Discipline is very important in big games.

"I won't talk about Costa. It's difficult for me to talk too much about Chelsea. What's important is we focus on us."